Nov. 2, 2015 looking south

Nov. 2, 2015 looking northeast from inside the ballroom

Nov. 25, 2015 looking east

Nov. 25, 2015 looking north

Nov. 25, 2015 looking west

March 1, 2016 exterior glass curtain on river side of building.

March 1, 2016 interior look at the grand ballroom's glass curtain

March 1, 2016 interior grand ballroom

March 24, 2016 looking westward

March 24, 2016 looking eastward

April 26, 2016 looking south

April 26, 2016 looking west

Following demolition of the previous, 50-year-old facility, construction on the new Brannon Civic Center began June 24, 2015. When this project is completed in the fall of 2016, not only will event planners have a place to seat more than 600 people, the new civic center will include an outdoor terrace to highlight one of our area’s biggest assets… the Indian River.

The new single-story, 13,900-square-foot civic center will offer:

a 6,500-sq-foot grand ballroom that’s flexible in size. The grand ballroom can be partitioned for smaller events or combined with adjacent multi-use spaces for a combined total more than 1,850 sq feet.

a 340-sq-foot catering kitchen.

a 1,950-sq-foot lobby area.

administrative offices.

larger restrooms.

an outdoor green space on the south side of the building for viewing outdoor concerts and performances.

and a 7,500-sq-foot terrace on the east side of the building that will maximize the river view. In some areas, the terrace will be as close as 20 feet to the seawall.

The new Brannon Civic Center will be energy efficient because it has been designed in accordance with current Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) requirements. This design will help the City to save a great deal of money in operating costs and overall building performance.

The Brannon Civic Center project is funded by the 2013 Bank Loan. The total estimated cost for this project is $5.7 million ,which includes all costs associated with design, construction, furnishings, audio-visual equipment and the relocation of the Council on Aging Organization.

Early maps of the 18th-century Smyrna Colony and the 1850 General Land Office survey plat do not show this Brannon Civic Center site/land mass, nor is it illustrated on the 1916 Sanborn Map of the area. The earliest map documenting this land is a 1943 United States Department of Agriculture aerial photograph. The land was created sometime between 1916 and 1943 using fill soil from the Intracoastal Waterway.

Years later when construction began on the previous Brannon Center building – a library at the time, engineers wanted ensure the man-made land could support the building. It was built upon approximately 98 piles spaced every 13-14 feet to carry the load on this unstable soil. The new building also will be constructed with piles.

For updates on this and other City capital improvement projects, please click here for the latest report.